Scraper device with adjustable contour



Sept. 29, 1970 M. M. KATZ 3,530,578

SCRAPER DEVICE WITH ADJUSTABLE CONTOUR Original Filed Jan. 3, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 50 4/51 50 M. m4 rz ATTORNEY Sept. 29., 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 3, 1967 3 I 7 5 6 F2/ R 7 z. 0 a a w M. 0 4 m 4 m 0 46 6 W 5 mm 5 v m |\l n J J Am M WP w H 6 1 6 M M W 4 8 P 2 b m I a M0 K L. m M, b 5 Av MJWM ATTORNEY I 3,530,578 SCRAPER DEVICE WITH ADJUSTABLE CONTOUR Meyer M. Katz, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Crystal Metal Products Co., Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Continuation of application Ser. No. 606,704, Jan. 3, 1967. This application Mar. 24, 1969, Ser. No. 810,927 Int. Cl. B26b 3/00; B27g 17/04 US. Cl. 30-171 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A scraper device with adjustable contour provided by the ends of a plurality of individually movable scraper elements provided with pivotally secured means for releasably clamping and positioning the elements for maintaining a selected contour.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 606,704, filed Jan. 3, 1967.

The invention relates to a scraper device, and more particularly to a scraper device having an adjustable contour.

Heretofore, scraper devices have been provided having adjustable contours. However, the means for releasing and allowing adjustability of the contour of the device was time consuming in operation, requiring the loosening and tightening of various screw members. Such prior devices, therefore, did not allow the ready adjustment and change of the scraper contour and required a plurality of elements which had to be manipulated for this purpose.

A principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved scraper device with adjustable contour which may be easily manipulated for changing the contour of the device with a minimum of effort and time expended.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved scraper device with adjustable contour which only requires the manipulation of a single element for releasing and locking the element providing the adjustable contour of the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved scraper device with adjustable contour which may be efficiently and inexpensively manufactured and produced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved scraper device with adjustable contour which is rugged in construction and requires a minimum of maintenance and servicing.

The above objects as well as many other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a scraper device with an adjustable contour provided by the ends of a plurality of individually movable scraper elements comprising a plurality of scraper elements, a body means for movably receiving said elements, and a clamping means pivotally secured with said body means for releasably clamping and positioning said elements with respect to said body means. The clamping means includes a lever with a cam portion for selectively releasing and clamping said elements with said body means upon pivotal movement of said lever respectively between its releasing and clamping positions. The cam portion of said lever exerts an increasing pressure on said scraper elements as the lever is moved from its releasingposition towards its clamping position for clamping said elements intermediate said cam portion of said lever and said body means afiixing the position of said elements with said bodyimeans.

The invention will be most readily understood from the following detailed description of a plurality of embodiments, thereof, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a scraper United States Patent Office 3,530,578 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 device with adjustable contour embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 illustrating a modified form of the scraper device;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 illustrating a further modified form of the scraper device;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view with the handle portion broken away of a scraper device of modified form embodying the invention;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 10; and

FIGS. 12 and 13 are perspective views of respective scraper elements of modified form.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Refer to FIGS. 1 through 5, inclusive, which disclose the scraper device 10 with adjustable contour embodying the invention. The device 10 comprises a handle 12 secured with a rod 14, which may be made of metallic material. The end 16 of the rod 14 may be secured with a body 18 by being received through the opening 20 of the body seeFIG. 3) and deformed to provide a head 22, or in any other well known manner.

The body 18 may be made of metallic material having a substantially flat base plate portion 24 and a pair of opposite upstanding side portions 26, 28. The body 18 is also provided with an upstanding edge at its top end extending between the side portions 26, 28. A central region 32 of the base plate portion 24 of the body 18 may be offset and angled in the region containing the opening 20 (see FIG. 4) so that the rod 14 is secured with the body 18 at an angle that varies slightly from the perpendicular (illustrated by the dashed line 34 of FIG. 2) to the extending direction of the base plate portion 24 of the body 18. The offset portion 32 of the base plate portion 24 also provides a recess 36 within which the head 22 of the rod 14 is received.

A plurality of scraper elements 38 of elongated flat form having a bottom pointed scraper end 40 and a top end 42 are received by the body 18 between the side portions 26 and 28 and in contact with the inside surface of the base portion 24. The elements 38 are individually movable with respect to the body 18 and are illustrated in their fully retracted positions by the solid lines of FIGS. 2 and 4, while being illustrated in their fully extended positions by the dotted lines 38 of FIG. 2. The control connecting or intermediate portion 44 of each of the scraper elements 3-8 is of reduced dimension to provide bottom and top shoulders 46, 48 where it joins the bottom and top ends 40, 42.

A clamping means 50* for selectively releasing and clamping said elements 38 with said body 18 comprises a lever 52 and a pressure unit 54. The lever 52 has an actuating end 56 which may be provided with serrations and a pivoted end 58 provided with a cam portion 60. The pivoted end 58 of the lever 52 is pivotally secured between the side portions 26, 28 of the body 18 by a detachable pin 62 extending therethrough and secured by a split ring washer 64 at one end of the pin 62.

The pressure unit 54 is of U configuration having a bottom elongated contact portion 66 and two upstanding side arm portions 68, 70 on opposite ends of the contact portion 66. The contact portion 66 which is of substantially fiat elongated form has received about it an elongated resilient or compressible member 72. The contact portion 66 of the pressure unit 54 with its resilient member 72 are received between the pivoted end 58 of the lever 52 and the intermediate portion 44 of the plurality of scraper elements 38, Whlie the side arm portions 68, 70 of the pressure unit 54 extend proximate to the inwardly facing surfaces of the respective side portions 26, 28 of the body 18. The side arm portions 68, 70 of the pressure unit 54 are each provided with longitudinally elongated openings 73 which receive the pin 62 therethrough.

In operation, the lever 52 is moved to the position shown by the dashed lines at 52' of FIG. 4. At this time the scraper elements 38 may all be moved downwardly to their fully extended positions as shown by the dashed lines 38 of FIG. 2. Further movement of the scraper elements 38 is prevented by engagement of the upper shoulder 48 of each of the scraper elements 38 with the upper side 74 of the resilient member 72 as shown by the dashed lines at 76 of FIG. 2. Each of the scraper elements 38 may now be moved independently of the other scraper elements 38 for the purpose of providing a selected contour 78 as shown by the ends 40 of the elements 38 in FIG. 5. If the scraper device is to provide a contour conforming with that of a particular object, such as the contour of the molding 80 of FIG. 5, the elements 38 are individually moved so that their ends 40 contact and conform to the contour 78 provided by the molding 80.

In order to secure the scraper elements 38 in the selected contour 78, the lever 52 is moved to its securing position shown by the solid lines of FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. As the lever 52 is pivoted about the pin 62, the cam portion 60 engages the contact portion 66 of the pressure unit 54 which may be made of metallic material, and exerts increasing pressure thereon in the direction towards the scraper elements 38. Since the pressure unit 54 is secured with the body '18 for movement toward and away from the scraper elements 38 by provision of the longitudinally elongated openings 73, the contact portion 66 is caused to move towards the scraper elements 38 and the resilient member 72 which as compressed by this action exerts a pressure force upon the scraper elements 38 retaining them in their adjusted positions with respect to the body 18 for maintaining the selected contour 78. Maximum pressure is exerted by the clamping means 50 when the lever 52 is positioned with its end 56 proximate to the body 18.

When the end 56 of the lever 52 is moved towards the position shown by the dashed lines 52' of FIG. 4 and extends substantially perpendicular to the base plate 24 of the body 18 and to the scraper elements 38, the cam portion 60 of the lever 52 has been rotated to a position exerting minimum or no pressure on the contact portion 66 of the pressure unit 54. This in turn minimizes or removes the pressure exerted by the resilient member 72 upon the scraper elements 38, allowing them to be repositioned to provide a new selected contour 78, which may again be fixed and maintained by movement of the lever 52 to its securing or retaining position.

Each of the scraper elements 38 may be moved between fully extended and retracted positions. The extended position was described previously in connection with FIG. 2 as shown by the dashed lines at 38. The retracted position is clearly shown in FIG. 4, in which case the top end 42 of each of the elements 38 engages the upstanding edge 30 of the body 18. It is noted that in this position the scraper end 40 of each of the scraper elements 38 extends beyond the bottom edge 82 of the base plate portion 24 of the body 18 allowing them to provide efiicient scraping action in this position. It is also noted that each of the scraper elements 38 are slidably retained within the device and may not be removed without the removal and disassembly of the lever 52 from the device 10. This, of course, avoids the loss of such elements 38 which might occur if they were freely removable. The elements 38, however, may readily be removed or replaced, by removal of the pin 62 by detaching its washer 64, at which time the lever 52 and pressure plate 54 are disconnected from the side portions 26, 28 of the body 18.

Refer now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 which disclose a scraper device 84 of modified form. The scraper device 84 differs from the device 10 by providing a hinged pressure unit 86 of substantially L cross-section with a contact portion 88 positioned between the cam portion 90 of the lever 92 and the intermediate portions 94 of the scraper elements 95 which are also each provided with a bottom scraper end 96 and a top end 98, both of enlarged form with respect to the intermediate portion 94. An upstanding portion 100 which is substantially perpendicular to the contact portion 88 of the hinged pressure unit 86 is provided with a pair of opposite outward projections 102 which extend through respective openings 104 in the side portions 106, 108 of the body 110 of the scraper device 84 for hingeably attaching same therewith.

In operation, a maximum pressure is exerted by the cam portion 90 upon the contact portion 88 of the pressure unit 86 for applying a compressive force to the scraper elements 95 for maintaining them in position for providing a selected contour. When the lever 92 is pivoted in the direction of the arrow 111 away from its shown retaining position and towards its releasing position, the cam portion 90 of the lever 92 reduces the force exerted upon the pressure unit 86 allowing the scraper elements 95 to be repositioned to provide a new selected contour at their ends 96. The top end 98 of each of the scraper elements 95 may be provided with a serrated surface to increase the ease with which the elements 95 may be manually positioned for providing such a contour. The elements 95 are also retained for slidable motion between retracted and extended terminal positions without being removable until the pin 114 is removed and the lever 92 is disassembled from the device 84 allowing the pressure unit 86 to be moved out of position to permit the elements 95 to be freely removed. The hinged pressure element 86 may be made out of a metallic, plastic or other suitable material for transmitting pressure from the cam portion 90 of the lever 92 to the contacted surfaces of the intermediate portion 94 of the scraper elements 95.

Refer to FIG. 9 which discloses a further modification of a scraper device 116 embodying the invention. The body 118 of the device 116 is formed at its upper region 120 to provide a recess 122 which receives a downwardly extending top end 124 of each of the scraper elements 126. Each scraper element 126 has a lower scraper end 128 and is movable between retracted and extended positions. When they are in their retracted positions as shown by the solid lines of FIG. 9, the elements 126 have their ends 124 in engagement with the upstanding edge 125 at the top of the body 118. Each of the scraper elements 126 when released by the lever 128 is movable in a downward direction to the fully extended position shown by the dashed lines in 128' at which time the extending end 124 of the element 126 engages the wall 130 of the body 118 as illustrated by the dashed lines at 124'.

The cam portion 132 of the lever 127 directly contacts the top edges 134 of the scraper elements 126 for exerting pressure thereon and fixing the respective positions of said elements 126 when the lever 127 is in its clamping position shown in FIG. 9. Upon movement of the lever 127 in a counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 129, the pressure exerted by earn 132 is diminished to allow sliding motion of the elements 126 for providing a new selected contour by its end 128 within the extended and retracted terminal positions of the elements 126. It is noted that the structure of device 116 prevents the removal of the elements 126 unless the lever 127 is disassembled from the device 116, whereupon the end 124 of the elements may be removed from the recess 122 of the body 118.

Refer now to FIGS. and 11 which illustrate a further modification by the scraper device 136 embodying the invention. In this form of the device 136, the scraper elements 138 are symmetrical, having identical scraper ends 140, 142, and an intermediate connecting portion 144 of reduced dimension for providing shoulders 146 and 148, which act as stops to provide terminal positions for the sliding motion of the elements 138. The lever 148 is also symmetrical about a vertical plane and has a pivoted end 150 rotatable about a pin 152 in a position intermediate the side portions 154, 156 of the body 158 of the device 136.

The pressure unit 160 is of substantially U configuration having a bottom portion 162 provided with a channel 164 in its undersurface which receives a resilient substantially flat strip of material 166 for engaging the exposed contact surfaces 168 of the elements 138. The side arms 170, 172 of the pressure unit 160 are each provided with a vertically elongated opening 174 receiving the pin 152 therethrough and allowing motion of the pressure unit 160 away from and towards the surfaces 168 of the elements 138 upon actuation by the cam portion 176 of the lever 148. With the lever 148 in the position shown by the solid lines of FIG. 10, the cam portion 176 exerts a force on the pressure unit 160, clamping and maintaining in position the respective scraper elements 138 with regard to the body 158. As the lever 148 is moved toward its upright position, the cam portion 176 releases the force applied to the pressure unit 160, so that when the lever 148 is positioned as shown by the dashed lines at 148', the scraper elements 138 may be slid between their terminal positions to provide a desired contour by their ends 140 and 142. It is noted, however, that the contour provided by the ends 138 will have an opposite or reciprocal relationship to the contour provided by the ends 140, except, of course, when each of the elements is linearly horizontally aligned, thereby providing the same contour at each of the ends 140, 142. When in its releasing position, as shown at 148, the lever 148 may be moved in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction. for applying pressure to the scraper elements 138 and locking same in position with the body 158 due to the symmetrical arrangement of the lever 148 and its cam portion 176. Of course, when the ends 140 of the scraper elements 132 are to be used, the lever 148 is moved in the clockwise direction into its terminal position shown by the solid lines of FIG. 10, and when the ends 142 are to be utilized, the lever 148 is moved in the counterclockwise direction to its terminal position indicated by the dashed lines at 148 for clamping the elements 138 in position for maintaining the selected contour. The device 136 thus, by its symmetrical form provides additionalutility for using the scraper ends 140, 142, at either end of the elements 138. The rod 178 which is secured with the handle 12' (not shown) of the device 136 is also symmetrically secured in a perpendicular relationship to the plane surface of the body 158 of the device 136.

As noted previously in connection with the other modified forms of the scraper device, the scraper elements 138 of the device 136 may be removed only after the removal of the lever 148 and pressure unit 160, thereby preventing the loss of the elements, which loss or undesired removal of the elements 138 might otherwise occur when the lever 148 is in its release position.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of scraper element 180 providing an enlarged tab portion 181 at its upper end to assist in manual positioning of the elements 180 and a substantially linear contact edge 182 for engagement by the compressing means of the scraper device, and a lower scraper end 184 of the element 180.

FIG. 13 illustrates a scraper element 188 identical to the scraper element except that its upper tab portion 190 is provided with a serrated surface 192 to assist in manually positioning the element 188 with respect to the body of the scraper device in which it is used.

The various embodiments of the scraper device With adjustable contour disclosed devices which are highly useful for scraping various surfaces which have irregular contours such as for example molding strips from which paint or other such material is to be removed. By the pivotal actuation of the clamping means of the devices disclosed, the scraper elements are immediately released for repositioning to any desired contour and can then be immediately locked in position for use. Thus the device as disclosed increases the ease and reduces the time required for an operator to utilize the scraper device in connection with surfaces having various contours. The disclosed structure also prevents loss or undesirable removal of the scraper elements when they are in the unclamped condition, although the invention also contemplates and provides scraper elements which may be removed Without dissassembling the device, such as those shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

It will, of course, be understood that the description and drawings, herein contained, are illustrative merely, and that various other modifications and changes may be made on the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A scraper device having an adjustable contour comprising a plurality of parallel scraper elements, body means for mounting said scraper elements, said body means including a base plate portion and a pair of opposed side portions, said scraper elements being mounted on said base plate portion between said side portions for sliding movement relative to each other and said side portions, and clamping means for selectively releasing and clamping said scraper elements upon said base plate portion, said clamping means comprising a lever pivotally secured to and between said side portions of the body means for movement about an axis extending transversely of the scraper elements and having a cam portion movable toward and away from the scraper elements upon pivotal movement of said lever respectively be tween the clamping and releasing positions, a pin member secured with and extending between the side portions of said body means and received through and pivotally supporting the lever of said clamping means, and a pressure distributing unit positioned between the cam portion of said lever and said scraper elements, said pressure distributing unit being mounted relative to said body means for movement into and out of clamping engagement with said scraper elements by the cam portion of said lever, said pressure distributing unit including a top surface adapted for engagement by said cam portion of the lever and a bottom surface adapted to engage said scraper elements, said pressure distributing unit including a pair of upstanding opposed arm portions, each arm portion having a slot therethrough for receiving said pin member thereby allowing reciprocal up and down movement of said pressure distributing unit responsive to actuation by said lever.

2. A scraper device having an adjustable contour comprising a plurality of parallel scraper elements, body means for mounting said scraper elements, said body means including a base plate portion and a pair of opposed side portions, said scraper elements being mounted on said base plate portion between said side portions for sliding movement relative to each other and said side portions, and clamping means for selectively releasing and clamping said scraper elements upon said base plate portion, said clamping means comprising a lever pivotally secured to and between said side portions of the body means for movement about an axis extending transversely of the scraper elements and having a cam portion movable toward and away from the scraper elements upon pivotal movement of said lever respectively between the clamping and releasing positions, and a pressure distributing unit positioned between the cam portion of said lever and said scraper elements, said pressure distributing unit being mounted relative to said body means for movement into and out of the clamping engagement with said scraper elements by the cam portions of said lever, said pressure distributing unit including a top surface adapted for engagement by said cam portion of the lever and a bottom surface adapted to engage said scraper elements, said scraper elements having elongated substantially flat members having first and second end portions joined by an intermediate portion, said first end portion being provided with a scraping end and extending from said base plate portion, the second end portion of said members engaging said body means for limiting the moveemnt of said members with respect to said body means, said base plate portion of said body means having a depressed region providing top and bottom boundaries, the second end portions of said members extending into the depressed region of said plate portion and having their movement limited between extended retracted positions by respectively engaging the bottom and top boundaries of said depressed region.

3. A scraper device having an adjustable contour comprising a plurality of parallel scraper elements, body means for mounting said scraper elements, said body means including a base plate portion and a pair of opposed side portions, said scraper elements being mounted on said plate portion betwen said side portions for sliding movement relative to each other and said side portions, and clamping means for selectively releasing and clamping said scraper elements upon said base plate portion, said clamping means comprising a lever pivotally secured to and between said side portions of the body means for movement about an axis extending transversely of the scraper elements and having a cam portion movable toward and away from the scraper elements upon pivotal movement of said lever respectively between the clamping and releasing positions, and a pressure distributing unit positioned between the cam portion of said lever and said scraper elements, said pressure distributing unit being mounted relative to said body means for movement into and out of clamping engagement with said scraper elements by the cam portion of said lever, said pressure distributing unit including a top surface adapted for engagement by said cam portion of the lever and a bottom surface adapted to engage said scraper elements, said elements comprising elongated substantially flat members having first and second end p01- tions joined by an intermediate portion, said first and second end portions each being provided with a scraping end and to stop shoulder defining a depressed region between said end portions constituting the intermediate portion of said members, said pressure unit of said compressing means movably engaging the intermediate portion of said members, said members being movable with respect to said base plate portion of said body means between first and second terminal positions determined respectively by engagement of the shoulders of said first and second end portions of said members with said pressure unit.

4. A scraper device as claimed in claim 3 in which said lever of said compressing means is in its releasing position when it extends perpendicular to said members, is in its first clamping position when positioned substantially parallel to said members proximate to said first end portions of said members, and is in its second clamping position when positioned substantially parallel to said members and proximate to said second end portions of said members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 282,468 7/1883 Rust. 612,677 10/1898 Sayler. 854,725 5/ 1907 Devers. 2,655,721 10/ 1953 Einhorn. 3,165,832 1/1965 Stipcenvich.

FOREIGN PATENTS 830,108 1/1952 Germany.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. -10 

